Event || The Festival of Light

[eternitymods]

Who: Everyone!
When: August 18th - 25th
Where: The Empire
What: The Festival of Light is here! Feel free to use any of these prompts. NPCs tag will come sometimes this week. Please mention it in your top-level if you'd rather not be tagged by a random NPC.
Warnings/Notes: N/A

EXPOSITION OF THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT
— Third District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00 to 23:00 —
The museums in the 03rd District are open to visitors and are home to many relics predating written history. A lot of those old relics are items of archaeological interest or look like they could be really advanced technologies if they weren't broken beyond repair. Prototypes for Magitek Armor of a new age are exposed, alongside fragments of what are believed to belong to the legendary WEAPONs, machines that belong to the same category than Ultima WEAPON.

The section for Eidolons has all the Eidolons the characters have met so far as well as others yet undiscovered displaying on a gigantic wall-covering painting. The largest Eidolon on the painting appears to be a dragon some characters may recognize as Bahamut, he is so big he dwarves the other Eidolons and should one pay attention, his wings are actually the background of the painting.

Interestingly, someone has doodled something that looks like Ultros over Leviathan on the painting...


SUNNY STARLIGHT
— Ninth District || August 22nd – August 25th || 07:00 to 19:00 —
Do you really believe because it’s summer, you can escape the beauty and magnificence of Christmas? Think again. There is one thing all the nations on Vaikuntha are of one mind on: the wait from the December 26th of a year to the December 24th of the next is too long. This is why a band of Moogles, Lalafells, Bangaas and Zoras from all across the Empire have occupied half of the Ninth District. Decorated trees, Christmas music, people dressed as Santa Claus (and probably dying because of the heat), fake gift boxes as well as a very large and pretty box for donations all await you!

Kids below the age of 15 will all receive a gift if they come: plushies made in the likeness of the main villains of numbered Final Fantasy games! And when you press the button hidden on their stomach, they speak a random line. Who doesn't want a Sephiroth plushie saying "You are a puppet" or a Jecht one repeating "Cry, cry, cry" all day long?

It's like a dream come true!


MIDNIGHT AIRSHIP
— Twelfth District || August 20th – August 24th || 23:00 to 06:00 —
For the late sleepers, it is possible to board a special airship prepared by Hypellos to party up in the sky. The Airship flies all around the Imperial Territories and should characters so desire, they can ask to stop by one of the two other cities. Whether they want to dance, to eat or to enjoy the view, it might be a very fun and relaxing activity. It is also a very good place from where to watch the fireworks… Or to scout for an incoming Tarutaru and her weapon toy.

Note that all the personnel onboard are Hypellos. They are very serviceable and nice, but can try the patience of those not used to their accent. Of note, one Hypello is green and appears to be angrily stalking anyone heading for the "Sunny Starlight" event. He is quite sneaky though and will always manage to get away before being approached.


MOGNET EXPOSITION
— Ninth District || August 22nd – August August 25th || 07:00 to 19:00 —
The half of the Ninth District not occupied by Christmas fanatics is occupied by the Moogles working for the Imperial section of Mognet. Split for the regular Mognet for a decade, Imperial Mognet has managed to thrive. Imperial iMog Slates have all sorts of functions other iMog Slates could only dream of, such as games, grammar check and that kind of stuff. All of those things can be visited at the exposition! Not only that, but the Moogles are also putting on display things that have nothing to do with Mognet but more to do with Moogles themselves.

Come and visit the exposition to discover the rich and amazing culture of the Moogles! Kupo Nuts, Fur Dye, Fake Kupo Nuts, Pom Shiner, Carved Kupo Nuts, booklets titled "How to Use Your Cuteness to Exploit People," Mognet Bags, Deluxe Kupo Nuts, Sheets to Prepare Future Strikes, Mog Beds, Explosive Kupo Nuts, Kupo Champagne—

There is no end to what might be learned from Moogles!


CHOCOBO RACES
— Sen Riqeaux || August 23rd || 15:00 to 20:00 —
A Chocobo Race will be held all around the city! Will you compete? Shall you win? There are no prizes as all the money earned through the race is given to the Safety of Sparks Golsaucia movement. Those participating can bring their own Chocobo or get a temporary one from the people organizing the race. It will be a very bad Chocobo though, so they shouldn’t expect to win… Beware the Hamsters and Marlboro during the race though. It’d be a real shame to end up getting eaten while racing.


SHOPPING
— City's Outskirts || August 18th – August 25th || 07:00 - 20:00 —
On the city's outskirts are all manners of stalls by shoppers eager to make some money. You can find everything there: plushies, food, clothes, souvenirs, books and even cosmetics. Why, one of the merchant is even selling contact lenses covering nearly all of the rainbow's spectrum aside from green while another sells all kind of swords, even the supposed legendary Excalibur! This might be the perfect place to take on O'aka's Quest if you so wish!


MINI SPARKS GOLSAUCIA
— Eleventh District || August 19th – August 24th || Anytime —
Specially for the festival, stallholders from Sparks Golsaucia were invited and brought a few attractions to display what they can do. Noticeably, there is a shooting stand—Once again, a treasure chest game where characters are presented with ten chests and can open only one-- Prizes range from one Gils to gigantic plushies. The novelty this year is something called the "Kupo Boxes," Boxes you punch open and you get something: perhaps something wonderful like a 1 million gil ticket, more often than not though absolutely nothing. Will you try your chance? Be careful, your wallet might not survive it.


TOURNAMENTS
— Tenth District || August 19th – August 23rd || 10:00/15:00/20:00 —
There is a Blitzball Competition taking place during the Festival of Light! Characters are free to go and watch the matches, so long as they can pay for the tickets. At the same time, a Triple Triad competition is taking place. Characters are free to enter the Triple Triad tournament if they so wish. Characters who know Triple Triads have decent chances to win. And even if your characters lose, what matters is trying, right? There are no prizes to be won, as all money goes to the Triple Triad For Everyone associations.


CULINARY ATTRACTIONS
— Second District || August 18th – August 25th || 12:00 to 13:30 / 19:00 to 21:00 —
What would a festival be without free food and banquets? Not really a festival. In the fourteenth district, there is a banquet and many stands held by people from all over the Empire. All kind of food can be found here-- Refined food, pastries, cakes, cooked meals, etc. It's virtually impossible not to find something to like in all of this, and it's all free! There are, however, guards standing around on the lookout for Gourmands who would be tempted to ruin the fun for everyone. After what happened two years ago, better be careful.


THE OPERA
— Ninth District || August 18th - August 24th || 22:00 —
There is an opera every day for all to see for free, titled "A Goddess's Tears." It is a retelling of the creation myth, but shown from the (presumed) perspective of the Goddess of Death. The play depicts the Goddess as someone who started out as a rather sweet person, but whose life took such terrible turns she wished to die and resented life. Yet, death was too scary of a prospect for her and she couldn't choose what was better, Life or Death. As the play progresses, she decides both are equally terrible and resolves to create a world where those very notions shall no longer exist.

As the play unfolds, toward the ends the story becomes what people are more familiar with. However, rather than letting her die wordlessly, the four heroes appease the Goddess's soul by singing. As the four heroes sing, the Goddess smiles and sheds a single tear before passing away. It is said the play is very emotional, sensible people might want to pass on it.


HOUSING
— Fourteenth District || August 17th - August 27th || Anytime —
Before, after and during the Festival of Light, the characters will all need a place where they can rest. Thankfully for them, people coming with the Curti Center delegation are all given the keys to stay in one of the abandoned houses in the 14th District. Truth to be told however, those house look anything but abandoned. Why, it's as if people had been living in them up until very recently, given how either clean and ordered they are for some, or chaotic and neglected they are for others (Characters who were present in Melodies of Life will be able to notice the houses are nearly identical to what they were just before the time skip during endgame, though there are a few eerie differences).

At least, it's a good place to sleep!


ARDYNIAN DISCOVERY
— Fifteenth District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00, 15:00, 20:00 —
Everyday, it will be possible to get wheeled motor vehicle driven by imperial soldiers and go visit one of the other cities, case in point, Ardynia! Not much is done over there for the Festival of Light, but it is worth checking out, if only for the Wizard and Jester Jobs. It is a thriving city with people from all over the Empire, and it appears to be something of a shopping center for the imperial region.

And most importantly, discover the official headwear of Ardynia: the Fedora! It is said Archaeologists have imported this fashion trend to Ardynia when they pass by, but none know whether this is true or not. While most citizens have enough senses not to actually wear this dreaded hat, those who do wear it really look dumb doing so. And those who don't look dumb look like they'd make jokes about your pet's untimely demise while you're still crying about it.

Perhaps is is best to stay away.


PARASRAYA DISCOVERY
— Fifteenth District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00, 15:00, 20:00 —
Everyday, it will be possible to get wheeled motor vehicle driven by imperial soldiers and go visit one of the other cities, case in point, Parasraya! Not much is done over there for the Festival of Light, but it is worth checking out, if only for the Archaeologist and Catmancer Jobs, as well as the Weapon Master Association. It is a technologically advanced yet small and cozy city...

... If it wasn't for a tragedy plaguing the city: cats, cats everywhere. If the meowing doesn't kill you, the constant flow of cats asking to be pet, fed and to sit on your lap might. You may even encounter a few tired citizens paying you money to take care of the cat infestation around their house. Others however are really defensive of the cats and will hunt anyone trying to bring harm to them. Of course, the source of all these cat-related troubles can be traced back to the origins of the Catmancer guild.

But, perhaps it is a story best left for another day.


FIREWORKS
— First District || August 18th – August 24th || Midnight —
Fireworks will be launched from the Castle starting 00:00 and will end at 01:00, everyday of the Festival. No matter where you are in the city, anyone should be able to watch them with ease if they so wish. Unfortunately, it means falling asleep before midnight may be a bit hard with all the noise. On the 25th, characters will be with dining with the Empress as the fireworks happen.

Comments

[mythmaker]

Uendo!

[She is working, of course, but right now there's no one at her stage. She's sitting on the edge of her little area, legs hanging over the side, as she drinks from a canteen of water. She hops off and walks over to him, smiling.]

Yes, I was...but...no one's been coming by for a while now. [We'll say this is later in the day so I don't have to write a second performance.] Ah, why don't you take these?

[She reaches to the bag at her side and pulls out some candy, the kind she's been giving kids who stop by. Individually packaged fruit candies!]

[mythmaker]

[The first problem is that Azusa doesn't even question why she's being dragged away. She just accepts it with a smile on her face and gives up trying to reach wherever she was heading. There's no resistance at all.]

Eh? I was? My, my...that wouldn't be good. The dinner's coming up soon...

[And, dressed in a fancy evening gown with evening gloves, she's very poorly equipped for a monster fight.]

Thank you...it's Selphie-chan, isn't it?

[sullenstallion]

Yeah. There's that...big dinner.

[He's seen Adrien around before thanks to the Curti Center and whatnot maybe.

He stares for another few seconds, and:]

I-it's not like she's actually dead! I just didn't know what to say about her!

[thehurricane]

I've been thinking about that, too. It could be some kind of monument. Graves can be marked in so many different ways.

[Or maybe there's some trick to reading them that he can't see? He removes his glove and runs his fingers over one of the graves. Ah, if only it were that easy. Once he's done, he stands up, putting it back on.]

Now, there's something I don't know much about. Crystallis, the Heroes...I take it you're familiar with them?

[thehurricane]

You know, you're the first person to ever say that to me.

[He sighs as if he's offended at the idea of improving his appearance. With one hand, he reaches up and drags two fingers down his face, tracing the lines of his scars.]

One look at these and one might just assume I'm sleazy or dangerous. What should I do?

[thehurricane]

['Turned' violent. How interesting.]

I see. I suppose tantrums like that can be expected when you come from a troubled home.

[Or, you know, asking older men if you can eat their legs. That counts, surely.]

I can imagine it wouldn't be. I hope these crowds aren't causing you other problems.

[He's not sure how other people would react to spider people at all.]

[eternitynpcs]

[Cid grumbles in response.] Not all of us have time to settle down, Cidney. Some of us have important work to do.

So important you couldn't be bothered to call more often. Even father took the time to see us during holidays, and he went through all that work of being physically present.

I'm running an international research facility and overseeing the integration of nearly one hundred outworlders. I rarely have time to relax.

[Cidney is silent. Her form is silhouetted against the lights of the party and leans onto Cid.]

All I am saying is that we missed you. I missed you, at least. Even though I'd hear about you in the news, siblings ought to catch up once in a while, don't they?

[eternitynpcs]

[With the bouquets held to his chest, Cid contemplates the graves with a stern look and lays one bouquet before each. He is not a talkative man, so he remains standing there and facing the graves in silence.

He stands there for several minutes, unmoving. Eventually, he turns towards the rest of the cemetery, standing and looking at the city outline beyond.]

[eternitynpcs]

[The partygoers respond with a mix of cheers, laughs, and a few groans regarding the further delay of downing their drinks. Cid's mustache twitches.]

That's right! Why not go further and beyond! [The man raises his glass, and the others, minus Cid, follow suit.] Cheers!

[Everyone takes a large gulp or empty their entire shot, though Cid takes a polite sip of his wine.]

[eternitynpcs]

"I'm not from around here," she replies flatly. "If you can't recall, I work at the Center and we're not some sort of monogamous culture."

She drinks her tea. Beast Boy did say she looked smart, so she may as well reward that with some sort of suggestion.

"The fried cakes are unique."

[eternitynpcs]

What isn't? [She swirls the wine and drinks with a smile.] But if I'm not needed in the office, I'm going to take advantage of the opportunity to de-stress.

[Her mouth flattens.]

Unless we get notified of some sudden bookkeeping error or find fifty new people in the Dream Width.

[thehurricane]

You have good taste in flowers...as well as my condolences.

[That's how he chooses to announce himself, approaching him from the direction he's walking. Once Legault saw him pick graves, that's when he moved out from his cover. He can't imagine Cid is going to be happy to see someone, but Legault keeps his hands on his hips, looking relaxed and casual.]

I didn't expect to run into such a familiar face here. It's an honor, Lord Chandius.

[He offers a friendly smile, but being Legault......he still looks sleazy.]

[eternitynpcs]

"Hmm, well, I can't say I'm good at teaching history, kupo, but if you ever want your school to go on field trips to museums, I can help with that." Mogaruru touches the tips of her fingers together, palms facing one another.

"There's all kinds of museums about old cities and outworlders, and I know which ones are good for kids, kupo."

[spaceforged]

Which is...all you’ve told me? [It was helpful even if it was sparse. He can’t blame the moogle for how little they know. They have names. It’s only a few but as he glances back up at the painting it is a lot more than he ever hoped for.]

Names are something. We could track down some kind of lead...does any texts say what the Eidolons are like? Leviathan sounds like they protected the waters.

[Maybe he’ll pick up Summoner at some point.]

[eternitynpcs]

Mogaruru held a gloved hand to her cheek - rather, the cheek of her mask. "Oh, you flatterer!"

She nods at Nanamo. "That looks wonderful. Have you looked at the jewelry display yet?"

[saint_sami]

"Oh! Hmm... I have to admit, I'm not in school yet, but... if I can learn more, maybe I should start going!"

[spaceforged]

He brushes off whether it was rude or not with a small sigh and a nod. “That was before the Dream Width decided it wanted me back and dumped a heap of memories and experiences on my head.” His smile is wry as he reaches up and tugs on his own white hair. “Lucky for me I had just retrieved my old uniform before that. We didn’t have time to do more than pile in the airship after we found Hunk.”

He turns his head to look again at the doodle. “And to answer your other question, yes. Ultros was trying to completely erase all traces of the Tidemother. As far as I can tell he came close.” But she slept beneath the city and rose like a spout of water from the depths.

Tournament

[immortalmarshal]

Cor's been watching the few rounds that she played in, and he seems a little impressed with her performance. "Not bad," he murmurs in a somewhat pleasant tone. "You've played this before?"

[spaceforged]

That explains so much. [Says the man covered head to toe in cats. A few drift closer to the King but most of the swarm that decided Shiro is a good oerch stay where they are. Especially a small, skinny orange tabby burrowed up against his neck. He has tried repeatedly to get it to let go. No dice.

The horde meow as one and he sighs.]

I’m not sure what I did to get this many. I didn’t have any food on me. They just started climbing once I entered the city.

[He has tried to gently detach them but this is a lot of cats. A lot of cats.]

[warpstriking]

Looks like someone's made a new friend. [He says, looking at that orange tabby that refuses to let go. Aww. He'd cross his arms, but he doesn't want to disturb the little girl resting on his shoulder. She's purring in her sleep and he is a very, very weak man.

Welcome to the new feline retinue, cats.]

Hm, you know... Cats might have a rep for being standoffish and picky, but they always seem to know when those around them need help.

[He gently scritches the little purr monster on his shoulder under her chin.] Did you know their purrs have healing properties?

[eternitynpcs]

Hm, well... [He's thinking again, as if trying to remember something he heard years and years ago. After a moment, it's like a light bulb went off over his head.]

I remember a legend about Phoenix coming to those in need, kupo. They were known for healing properties.

[eternitynpcs]

O-okay, kupo. [He can't say no.]

Mognet Expo

[immortalmarshal]

A small, brief chuckle comes from the man next to her. If Castor turns to face the source, she'll find a rather amused Cor chaperoning his own Moogle's shopping.

"At least one of you have the right idea..."

A

[immortalmarshal]

Sometime in the late afternoon, there's a knock on the door. Should it be ooen, or if Gladio opens the door for him, he will find Cor standing on the other side.

"Mind an early visistor?" He inquires, curiously alone for the moment. Even his moogle isn't by his side, even though Tommy insisted on going with them for this trip.

[conanima]

[Perch territory? Does he think so? Well, he is very tall. They might hinder his ability to go anywhere though so she probably should do something.]

Uh….sure! I’ll try. Lemme just put these little guys down……[And she does so…only to have them try to climb up to her so they can hang on her shoulders]…..Ow!

[Wow, those claws are sharp.She takes a few seconds to get used to the cats being on her shoulders.]

Okay……um….at least my hands are free I guess. Here, let me take one of yours - [And she gently tries to pry one off him] H-hey! [Only for it to jump out of her arms and try to leap back onto Shiro.]